Book Blitz: Bittersweet Junction by Ivy Sinclair

Best friends once, lovers never, yet an attraction
that can’t be ignored.

Five years ago, Julia Bell walked away from her life
the moment her high school diploma was in her hand. She left her family and
friends behind to start over and escape the chokehold of small town life in
Benton Hill. But an urgent call from her little sister brings Julia back to her
hometown wholly unprepared for what awaits her. Ben Miller was always the nice
guy. Just before high school graduation, he stepped out of that role hoping to
capture the heart of the woman he loved. Instead, in quick succession he lost
the girl, and the future he worked so hard to achieve.

Even though Julia and Ben are drawn to each other,
echoes of the past block them at every turn. Secrets are exposed, and reality
needs to be dealt with if they can ever hope to move past the bittersweet
junction that ripped them apart.

Ivy Sinclair cut her romance teeth on classics like
Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, and Sabrina. She is a
firm believer in true love, a happily ever after ending, and the medicinal use
of chocolate to cure any ailment of the heart. Ivy’s guilty pleasures include
sushi, endless Starbucks lattes, and wine. Readers of Ivy’s stories can expect
smoldering sweet stories of romance that tug at the heartstrings.

Fate gives two former best friends a second chance at
romance, if they overcome old misunderstandings and deceit.

Give a quick blurb about the book and why readers
would enjoy it.

Bittersweet Junction picks up with the main
characters, Julia Belle and Ben Miller, five years after high school
graduation. Julia left the small town of Benton Hill right after graduation because
she was faced with some grown-up kind of decisions that she couldn’t make. Ben,
one of Julia’s childhood best friends, was left confused and hurt after her
departure. Julia’s sister Clary lures Julia back to Benton Hill under false
pretenses, and that’s when Julia realizes it’s impossible to outrun the past.

I think what readers will enjoy most about this story
is the way that Julia and Ben eventually overcome the obstacles in their path
to have a shot at their happy ending. I found it very satisfying to write, and
I believe that will resonate with readers.

How did you come up with the idea for Bittersweet
Junction?

I’ve had several ideas for stories that revolve around
the idea of a five year high school reunion. The idea for Bittersweet Junction
started there, although in the end, there is no actual high school reunion in
the book. That wouldn’t have been a good enough reason to drag Julia back to
Benton Hill.

If Bittersweet Junction were made into a movie, who
would you want to play the main characters?

I’ve thought a lot about this. I could see Emma
Roberts playing Julia and Chris Pine, with his gorgeous blue eyes, would make
the perfect Ben. Emily Browning would play Julia’s little sister Clary, and Max
Thieriot would round out the casting as Mike.

About you as writer:

When did you begin writing?

I started writing the summer between sixth and seventh
grade. I kept all of my teenage angst in a journal and experimented with poetry
as well. I think that helped me start finding my writing voice.

When did you first think, wow I have made it as a
writer?

My senior year of high school I won a state newspaper
award for a piece of hard hitting journalism in the school paper. It was an
article on how a teacher in a local junior high had gotten in trouble for
showing an R-rated movie in the classroom. The day I received my award, I knew
that writing was part of my life’s journey.

Do you have any special rituals you do when you sit
down to write?

I usually have an idea of how many words or chapters
that I want to get written that particular writing session. It helps to have a
goal because I am easily distracted.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers out
there?

Take an active interest in reading about what’s going
on in the publishing industry today so that you can make informed decisions
about your writing destiny. The landscape of publishing is changing faster than
anyone could have imagined, and it affects all of us.

Silly questions:

Favorite color? I am digging orange right now. I have
an orange purse, loads of orange tops, and even my toenails are orange at the
moment.

Salty or Sweet? I am 50/50 on that. My favorite snack
right now is a handful almonds mixed with a handful of dark chocolate chips.

Favorite author?
Stephen King. I can’t think of another author out there who has
influenced me and my writing as much as he has, and I have enjoyed almost every
single book he’s written.

Favorite book? I still remember discovering Intensity
by Dean Koontz. It seriously blew my mind and scared me to death (which I love
in a good book btw.)